Olive oil mayo: Half the calories, all the flavor

Those of you longing for the days when mayonnaise was not a diet roadblock can take heart. If you can find it, mayonnaise made with olive oil solves a lot of problems.

The blend cuts fat and calories but maintains the texture and mayo flavor. Most offer none of the spreadability issues of low-fat mayonnaise that has spoiled many a recipe.

Kraft says olive-oil mayo sales are growing 35 percent a year. Some stores have trouble keeping it in stock. The product is a blend of olive oil with soybean and canola oil.Jim Hillibish is a food writer for the Canton (Ohio) Repository. Reach him at jim.hillibish@cantonrep.com.

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

3 quarts sweet potatoes, cut into wedges

6 tablespoons oil

1 1/2 cups red pepper, julienne cut

1 1/2 cups olive oil mayonnaise

1 1/2 cups fried bacon, diced

1 1/2 cups scallions, grilled and cut into 1/2 -inch pieces

3/4 cup cider vinegar

3/4 cup bleu cheese, crumbled

6 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/tablespoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Toss potatoes with oil; spread into single layer in greased full-sheet pan. Bake in 375-degree oven 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Cool. Combine potatoes with remaining ingredients. Chill covered for at least two hours or longer. Serves 20